Devastating The Worst Person You Know (brenner) Made A Great Point - Tumblr Posts

When Mike called El a superhero at the end of their argument, El felt discouraged. So why would Mike's monologue include the same statement when no work was done to change El's feelings towards that title? In fact, the opposite conclusion was reached. El learned that putting herself into boxes was reductive. She shouldn't just be a superhero, she needs to be a "monster" too to truly understand herself. If Mike's monologue gave El strength, it means that he's leading her in the wrong direction. Her self-image takes multiple steps back when she's with him.

El looked angry when Mike called her a superhero. That isn't what she wanted to hear and she knows she shouldn't lean back into that mindset. Anger fuels her powers. So yes, it did give her strength, but not positive strength. El looks over to Max dying, something that makes her angry, listens to Mike, and screams out in anger as she rips away from the vines.

El knows that Brenner was right. Mike disagrees. Mike doesn't see how reducing her down to a superhero is harmful. But El does. She gave Mike the cold shoulder just before this statement. She believes Brenner was right about her being neither a superhero nor a monster.